An annual data review produced by the Royal Academy of Engineering, in collaboration with Beauhurst, reports that the University of Cambridge has shown the largest increase in number of spinouts among three top UK universities – Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial – in 2024.
The Spotlight on Spinouts 2025 report analyses annual trends in UK spinouts. The University of Cambridge ranks second to Oxford for number of spinouts created since 2011, with Imperial in third, but in 2024 alone Cambridge has spun out 26 new companies, the largest increase of the three. Amongst the many spinouts, there are severals dedicated to cancer advancement and sustainability.
According to the report, East of England spinouts secured 35.0% of total investment, leading all regions. The area hosted two of the top five spinout fundraisings in 2024, including a £450 million raise by Cambridge spinout Bicycle Therapeutics. The South Cambridgeshire-based company develops cancer treatments using proprietary bicyclic peptide technology, with the investment aimed at supporting its R&D efforts.
Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Cambridge, said: “It’s heartening to see the growth in spinouts from Cambridge and across the sector as a whole. University entrepreneurship has an increasingly vital role to play in driving UK economic growth and addressing some of our most pressing societal challenges. As one of the world’s top science and tech clusters, Cambridge has a responsibility to deliver innovation-led economic growth for the UK and we have ambitious plans to further strengthen our capabilities in this regard.”
“This rapid increase in the number of spinouts coming out of Cambridge demonstrates our continued focus to accelerate Cambridge innovations as well as the impact of our newer initiatives, such as the Founders at the University of Cambridge programme and the Technology Investment Fund.”
Dr Jim Glasheen, Chief Executive of Cambridge Enterprise
